Page 24

She disappeared, and Jacob couldn’t help but smirk.

“Oh, what?” Carla smiled. “You’re not going to be one of those people who tells me I shouldn’t be drinking this early, are you?”

“No. You are capable of making responsible decisions.”

“Is that a psychological way to stop me from drinking early?”

Jacob laughed. “Not at all.”

“Hmmm.”

“So, let me ask you. Have you ever cheated on someone you were with, Carla?”

Carla pointed at herself. “Me?”

He tilted his head in response.

Carla blew out a deep breath. “Well, only as get-back.”

“Get-back?”

“Yeah. He cheated. I wasn’t ready to let him go, so I returned the favor.”

His gaze dropped, and he grimaced.

“But, in my defense, that was long ago. You know, when you’re young, you play tit-for-tat sometimes. Unfortunately, I didn’t know my worth then. I’m ashamed to say that grew into my last failure of a relationship with…” She paused and wondered if she should proceed.

“Please,” he said, ushering her continuation.

“The guy at your club last night, Lennox. After we were in a relationship for a little over four years and talk of marriage came up, he suddenly wanted to be alone for a while. I believe the way he put it was: he still admired other women in ways that might cause him to step out on me.” She shrugged. “So we ended it, and a year later, he was married.” She smiled, but there was no amusement in her eyes.

Jacob’s brows dipped, his eyes tight in disapproval.

“I realized then I was accepting the bare minimum from men. So I started doing my own thing, focusing on myself, my happiness, my career.”

“And how’s your career as a professor?”

“An educator. I teach at Academy College Preparatory High School. It’s in full swing.” She smiled. He grinned in return. “The students keep me young.”

He chuckled. “How so?”

“I know all of the latest dances.”

His chuckle evolved into a deep guffaw. “Those moves you had on the dance floor last night?”

“No, no, not those moves. Those are all mine.”

They joined in the merriment.

“If you didn’t know, let me be the first to tell you, there’s nothing old about you. Your students just happen to be younger.”

Carla wiggled her brows. “I like the way you think.”

“It’s true. And, your students don’t have to be the only ones to teach you a few moves.”

Her smile broadened. “Is that so?”

A deep laugh escaped him. “Of course. You could take on the challenge to train your body to think it’s still young even with age.”